This invention relates to a stringed musical instrument and, more particularly, to a stringed musical instrument with a head formed at the leading end of a neck and a process for fabricating the stringed musical instrument.
A musician plays the stringed musical instrument by bowing or plucking. In either case, strings are stretched over a neck, and are anchored at a head and a body. Thus, the body, neck, head and strings are indispensable component parts of the stringed musical instrument.
FIG. 1 illustrates a typical example of an acoustic guitar. The acoustic guitar is categorized in the stringed musical instrument. The prior art acoustic guitar is broken down into a body 1, a neck 3, a head 4 and six strings 5. Several boards 2 are assembled together, and a resonator is defined inside of the body 1. The resonator is open through a sound hole to the outside of the body 1. A tailpiece 1a is attached to the front board 2 of the body 1, and is located on one side of the sound hole.
The neck 3 is fixed to the body 1, and projects from the other side of the body 1. The neck 3 includes a neck beam fixed to the body 1, a fingerboard 6 attached to the upper surface of the neck beam and frets 7 partially embedded in the fingerboard 6 at intervals. The fingerboard 6 extends from the neck beam onto the front board 2 of the body 1. The head 4 is formed at the leading end of the neck beam, and the neck beam and the head 4 are formed in a monolithic body. Pegs 8 are attached to the head 4, and are rotatable with respect to the head 4. The six strings 5 are stretched between the pegs 8 and the tailpiece 1a. The six strings 5 extend over the fingerboard 6 and the front board 2, and pass over the sound hole.
FIG. 2 illustrates the monolithic body for the neck beam 3a and the head 4. The fingerboard 6 is bonded to a part of the monolithic body serving as the neck beam 3a, and the head 4 is uncovered with the fingerboard 6. Six peg holes are formed in the head 4, and are respectively assigned to the pegs 8.
A wood plate is shaped into the monolithic body, and the peg holes are formed in the monolithic body. Upon completion of the wood machine work, the fingerboard 6 is bonded to the neck beam 3a of the monolithic body, and, thereafter, the monolithic body is finished. The fingerboard 6 is usually not painted from viewpoints of good appearance and fine finger touch. The exposed surface of the neck beam 3a is painted for frost finishing, or is treated with oil. On the other hand, the head 4 is painted for bright finish.
In order to differently finish the monolithic body 3a/4 and the fingerboard 6, a masking work is required. In detail, the painter masks the fingerboard 6 and the head 4 with a piece of masking sheet, and the exposed surface of the neck beam 3a is painted for the frost finishing. Subsequently, the masking sheet is removed from the head 4, and the frosted surface of the neck beam 3a is masked with a piece of masking sheet. The head 4 is painted for the bright finishing, and, thereafter, the painted surface is polished with a buff. Thus, the neck 3 and the head 4 are finished through the complicated process sequence, and a large amount of time and labor is consumed for the finishing process. This results in a great production cost.
It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide a stringed musical instrument, which makes the production cost low.
It is also an important object of the present invention to provide a process through which the stringed musical instrument is fabricated.
To accomplish the object, the present invention proposes to assemble a monolithic body with a decorative board.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stringed musical instrument comprising a body, at least one string anchored at one end thereof to the body and vibratory for generating sound variable in pitch, a neck projecting from the body and having a front surface over which the at least one string is stretched and another surface treated through a first kind of finishing, and a head connected to a leading end of the neck and having a bulk portion, a panel attached to the bulk portion and treated through a second kind of finishing different from the first kind of finishing and an anchoring means to which the other end of the at least one string is anchored.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process for fabricating a stringed musical instrument comprising the steps of a) preparing a composite component part including a neck having a front surface and another surface treated through a first kind of finishing and an incomplete head connected to a leading end of the neck and a panel treated through a second kind of finishing different from the first kind of finishing, b) fixing the panel to the incomplete head of the composite component part, and c) completing the stringed musical instrument on the basis of the resultant structure in the step b).